FM reception in my car sucks

[mikeymikec]

My wife's car can pick up a lot more stations than mine can, and yet if anything my wife's car was probably cheaper at the time of manufacture as well as older than mine.

Apart from the stereo as a possibility (though I would have thought that any manufacturer would have nailed FM reception adequately by now), could getting a longer aerial be of significant benefit? Is it something that any of you have done before and noticed a benefit?

 

[mindless1]

Check the aerial connector if that end of the cable isn't hard wired. On some vehicles rain can get into it and cause corrosion. in that case you can clean both pieces with steel wool and after reconnected, apply silicone grease or caulking over the joint.

I mean where the wire plugs into the antenna mast assembly, not where the mast rod itself screws onto its base, but check for corrosion where the mast screws on too.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

... could getting a longer aerial be of significant benefit?

When I broke of my aerial while clearing ice, my reception sucked until I replaced it, even though there was a good 6+ feet of wire (from the base of the antenna, all the way around the windshield and into the radio) still there to function as an antenna.

So a longer/bigger aerial might not be a bad idea. I don't think the aftermarket ones are crazy expensive, and they're easy to swap - just make sure you get the right kind of screw (male, female, size, threads, etc.)

 

[Pulsar]

A longer aerial does not equal better reception. You're trying to pick up specific wavelengths and specific length antennae work better for that - probably the same length provided by the original manufacturer. Some cars simply DO have crappy reception by design. My newer pickup has balls for reception compared with my car on the FM, but because the car has a rear-defroster antennae the AM absolutely goes to crap when I turn on the defroster.

Short of finding corrosion or a broken aerial, your best bet is to install a signal amplifier. After that, your best bet is a new head deck. But it's hit and miss.